Emotions have been at the heart of Mob Psycho 100, and that’s even more true with the new season. The empathetic start to Mob Psycho 100 II has shown that Mob is changing, slowly but surely. Some of these changes have been brought upon by himself, but others have come about due to outside influences. Mob’s been conflicted about whether or not he should use his powers against simple bullies and confronted the idea of whether all spirits are bad and should be eviscerated. The biggest question to come out of these new issues is how they will have an impact on Mob and his overall continuous growth?

From the first season to where we are in season two, Mob has undergone significant changes. He's been able to gain legitmate friends, learn how to not feel as if his powers are a burden on him, and has taken Reigen's advice of not having to fight if things truly get out of hand. While he's still not as emotional as other people around him, he's coming to terms with them more and more, which leads Mob to being able to handle these issues in season two. The Mob of season one would have a much harder time with these than where he is now and it's thanks to the growth he experienced in season one through facing his own problems and with the help of others that he can face what's about to come.

Mob dives straight in this season into a situation that potentially could have ended up worse than it did. Following learning about being deceived by Emi, the negative emotions garnered from that could have been fuel for Mob’s psychic powers. Mob is Mob though, so instead, he doesn’t let it truly get him down and instead helps her when Emi is bullied by her own friends. He shows his sympathy for Emi and belief in her skills as a writer by standing up for her and helping to reassemble her manuscript.

What was surprising here is that he willingly shows her his esper powers. For the first time in quite awhile, Mob lets a non-psychic person see this side of him in order to help her feel better and show that despite what happened, he trusts her. It’s a surprising way to show his emotions in a way that we haven’t seen from him in the previous season. The Mob we then wouldn’t do this nor would we expect him to, but the growth he undertakes throughout allows for this beautiful moment of vulnerability that Mob shows.

Early on, we’re seeing Mob fighting various internal dilemmas that are also going to push him toward changing as a person. The third episode raises two distinct questions that Mob has to mull over. Question one comes from when Mob gets bullied, but is saved by Ritsu and members of the Body Improvement Club. Musashi asks why Mob didn't just fight back and Tenga tells him to use his “powers” in situations like these.

The first question is perhaps easier for Mob to come to terms with since it’s unlikely he’d use his powers for personal gain in that type of situation. He could have easily dispatched those bullies and been on his way. With how some people perceive him as White T Poison, they wouldn’t be surprised to see him use his powers to get rid of anyone in his way, but that’s not Mob. Even Ritsu tells him not to waste his powers on people like that. The only part that could change in the future is if he decides to stand up for himself verbally, but not physically. However even that might be a stretch, since Mob is pretty non-confrontational.

The next question rears its head when Reigen and Mob are tasked with exorcising a spirit. Up until this point, everything has been cut and dry when it comes to spirits. If they’re causing a problem, Mob will get rid of them, no questions asked. With the exception of Dimple, the idea of spirits has been binary—you’re a spirit who will willingly pass on or are looking to cause trouble. What happens when we introduce shades of grey and spirits who aren’t looking for trouble, but just want to stay where they are?

Mob’s reaction to this question is not as simple, and by the end of the third episode, it has him visibly shaken because he’s unsure what would happen if he used his powers for evil. In the heat of the moment, Mob truly is conflicted and doesn’t know what he should do: exorcise the spirits or let them be? His empathetic nature leads him to the decision to let them be, but it’s a choice that can shake the foundation of what he’s been doing all this time. With Mob’s more laid back nature, this is something that can allow him to grow more as a person and push forth his journey into being more emotional.

Perhaps one of the interesting by-products of these changes that Mob is dealing with is how they affect Reigen. Unbeknownst to Mob, Reigen has picked up on how Mob seems to be changing. What could be intriguing about this situation is the reverse effect where this could cause change within Reigen as well. That probably won’t lead to Reigen being less shady, but it seems he’s really going to be more perceptive about looking out for Mob when he’s having trouble or problems as seen in the third episode.

With emotions being the key to psychic powers, what exactly will these new changes mean for Mob? Mob’s empathetic side is going to continue to grow which could help unlock some of the restrictions he’s placed on his emotions that have been locked away because of his powers. That could in turn lead to Mob having a better control over his powers so he doesn’t go completely overboard or out of control when he reaches the upper limits of his emotions. He's able to let loose a bit more because of his power not feeling like a curse anymore or that he has to use it when things are bad. Now, he has more of a choice. Hopefully, it allows Mob to truly experience the human spectrum of emotions without having them be associated with his powers getting out of hand.

The first real test for Mob’s new view on life and the changes he’s had to confront came in episode four and five. Here we will see how he will put everything together and what that will mean for him going forward for the rest of the season , including how to effective use postive emotions and seeing how people's hearts can change. Everything that’s happened to him early in this season looks to be good changes to help Mob, but it’s up to him to decide where to go from here.

What do you think of Mob’s recent dilemmas, and how do you think he will end up as the rest of the season progresses? Let us know in the comments below!